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This small mammal, a member of the weasel family, is believed to be able to take down a red squirrel in a tree, North Country wildlife observer John Harrigan told me Tuesday.

The state Fish and Game Department is trying to learn more about the creature and its habits, so I sent a copy of the video to Will Staats.

He confirmed what I saw as a marten, and that he believes they are now a species in recovery in the Great North Woods.

I was with Harry Brown of Stewartstown and we were taking a break from snowmobiling at about 3,000 feet, Monday when this beautiful and curious creature came out to say hello.

Smaller than the size of a house cat with big black hind legs and rounded ears, these cute mammals prefer is high elevations in New Hampshire in forests dominated by conifers.

Staats said they like the high elevation snows because they can out-compete fishers with their light bodies and paws in the snow.

A profile of the marten, written in 2005 by Jillian R. Kelly Kilborn of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, noted that the animal does well in partially harvested stands.

I do not want to specifically locate where I saw this marten for its protection, but I was surprised at his presence due to the fact that the area had been recently heavily altered by clearing.

The paper had interesting facts.

"To compensate for scarce prey and higher metabolism during winter, marten have been known to shift to larger prey, such as snowshoe hare (Lachowski 1997), which provide more energy per volume than mice and voles (Zielinski 1986)," Kelly wrote.

"At elevation, deep snow, unique soil composition, inclement weather, and infrequent logging all contribute to the conifer cover and coarse woody debris that marten seek. Thus, ridgelines and areas of high elevation may be particularly important for marten in New Hampshire."

In New Hampshire, marten were once common and economically important for their fur. They were found everywhere but the Seacoast. By 1935, habitat loss and trapping had resulted in a drastic population decline.

Marten remained scarce despite two reintroduction attempts and were one of the first species legally classified as threatened in New Hampshire.

Since the early 1980s, evidence of martens have been observed in towns throughout northern New Hampshire. Based on tracks, sightings and an examination of marten distribution, it appears that northern New Hampshire has an expanding populationof marten, she wrote.

However, marten demographics are still poorly understood. In addition to being threatened in New Hampshire, marten are of particular concern because of their status as an “umbrella species.” Their large range and sensitivity to disturbance make them broad indicators of ecosystem health, Kelly wrote.

Currently, New Hampshire has a Memorandum of Understanding with the majority of the large landowners, which requires consultation with New Hampshire Fish and Game when proposing to harvest timber above 2,700 feet in part to protect the marten.

The wind project which was recently installed in Coos County was required to acquire conservation land at high elevations to compensate for the loss of habitat.

There is also an informal agreement with fisher trappers pertaining to the reporting and confiscation of marten carcasses if incidentally captured.

Marten have been a priority research species for the state and data on population demography and high-elevation populations are still lacking.

But a study is now underway which this spring, should be published on the marten, Staats said.

A study involving trapping on Mount Kelsey by UNH Grad student Alexej Siren is about to be published. He caught 34 marten and radio collared them.

Staats notes that the study found new logging roads provided a packed surface for predators that allowed foxes and coyotes to enter the area and kill the marten. Staats said marten are believed to have a life span that allows them to enter into their teen years.

They are a carnivore but they really like berries. Mountain Ash berry is a favorite. They will also eat raspberries, Staats said. A standard source of food is voles and they can hunt actively in the snow.

Staats said the department would love to get wildlife sightings of the marten and have it available on the Fish and Game web page.